[2021] Developer Insight: Executor

[ Developer Insights - Kit Reveal ]



Hi Holotable Heroes,

The Bounty Hunters are getting a Capital Ship to lead them into battle on the Holotables! One of the largest and most powerful Imperial vessels ever created, the imposing Executor led the way for the Empire at both the Battle of Hoth and Endor. Under Admiral Firmus Piett, the Super Star Destroyer struck fear in the hearts of enemies before it met its demise by plummeting into the Death Star.

In addition to the ability to destroy the enemy Capital Ship and stun all enemies, the Executor can dispel Outmaneuver and Stealth on enemies and debuffs from Bounty Hunter allies. The all new buff, We Don't Need Their Scum, creates some fun interaction between Empire and Bounty Hunter ships, and the Executor allows Bounty Hunters to inflict Target Lock on the targeted enemy whenever they deal damage via their Basic ability. Breach synergy is abundant, as all Bounty Hunter allies are called to assist against an enemy with Breach.

Achieve dominance on the Holotables by adding the Executor to your ships roster through the all new Journey Guide Fleet Mastery event!

The Basics:

• While Executor has the Imperial tag, this capital ship is primarily designed to lead a Bounty Hunter fleet.
• Executor can also work well with Empire ships mixed in.
  • While not as strong as Bounty Hunters, Empire ships can be used to fill out the rest of the fleet if you do not have enough Bounty Hunters.
• Executor’s kit interacts with Breach, which is one of the main mechanics for Bounty Hunter ships.
  • Executor also relies on applying Target Lock for a kind of “mini Bounty Hunter contract” which also adds some synergy with Empire ships that utilize Target Lock.
• Executor is absolutely massive and the scale of Executor was a hurdle that we had to overcome when designing it.
  • It’s so big that the original model (that was to scale) was clipping into the planets in the background of fleet battles.
  • We ended up using several Star Destroyers to help show how big this ship is without making it take up the entire screen during battle.

Unique Attributes:

• The Executor is the first capital ship to have a Crew Ability that is comparable to a Bounty Hunter contract.
  • This works particularly well with Razor Crest’s Crew Ability that’s also similar to a Bounty Hunter contract and can help trigger it’s payout quickly.
• The Crew Ability also allows Bounty Hunters to ignore Taunt on crewless ships - There is no bounty on the heads of these nameless crewmen (or droid pilots)!
• The BEST part of Executor is the Ultimate, the second Death Star appears and you blow up the enemy’s capital ship
  • Unlike Raddus’ Holdo’s Maneuver, you get to keep your capital ship while removing theirs.
  • The first game since 2006’s Star Wars: Empire at War to provide players with a “Shoot the Death Star” button and it’s as awesome as it sounds.
• Specifically dispelling Outmaneuver is a first for ships in general, but it’s there mostly for flavor win.

Inspiration:

• Executor first graced the screen in Empire Strikes Back, and then met its fate in Return of the Jedi.
  • We pulled from both appearances in order to have the kit chock full of the appropriate flavor.
• Darth Vader definitely used non-Imperial tactics in employing the Bounty Hunters, which we pay homage to with Breach of Protocol and Unorthodox Methods.
• The crew for the ship, Admiral Piett, famously declared how little he thought of Bounty Hunters. This is why Empire allies get the “We Don’t Need Their Scum” effect that gives them a boost when Bounty Hunter allies are defeated.
• When brainstorming what Executor’s ultimate should be, we tried to think of the most memorable moment it had in either movie. While crashing into the Death Star was what we all thought of, it did inspire us to look deeper into its role at the Battle of Endor.

Strategy Tips:

• Bounty Hunters are the core of this fleet and directly interact with Breach, but you can use Empire ships to round out the fleet.
• Hound’s Tooth has been a powerful ship in many fleets but Executor helps shore up its weaknesses and counters that have been added to the game over time.
• You have a tough choice between focusing on Breach or Target Lock:
  • The cooldown reduction from Breach helps you get to the extremely powerful Ultimate faster, but Target Lock helps the Executor fulfill its “contract”
  • Completing the Executor’s Crew “contract” allows the Razor Crest to trigger it’s Crew Ability very quickly, and then the additional speed that Razor Crest provides all Bounty Hunter allies will allow the fleet to quickly reduce the cooldown of Executor’s Ultimate afterwards.
  • Additionally, fulfilling the Executor’s Target Lock “contract” applies Breach (and Target Lock) permanently to all enemies which immediately reduces the Ultimate’s cooldown, and after that the cooldown will be reduced even further any time an enemy ship reinforces.
• As part of this release, Slave I is getting a long overdue update to its kit.
  • Slave 1 will dispel buffs on Breached enemies with its Basic
  • A brand new unique “No Good To Me Dead” provides Slave I stats for each active enemy at the start of battle or when called to reinforce the fleet.
  • The first time all enemies are Breached while Slave I is active, or if Slave I enters the battle while all enemies are Breached, Seismic Charge's cooldown is reset.
    • This is much easier to do with Executor leading the fleet as you already want to be Breaching as many enemies as possible to reduce the Ultimate’s cooldown.
    • Slave I will have its Seismic Charge available when the Executor’s Crew Ability “contract” is fulfilled since all enemies will have Breach for the rest of the battle.
  • Slave I can enter the battlefield with a sizable amount of Protection Up if there are many enemies that are suffering from Breach.

FAQ:

• Why does the Ultimate destroy all ships after its second use?
  • It is extremely hard to trigger Executor’s Ultimate twice in the time limit. If you manage this exceptional feat then, congratulations, you should win immediately.